1400's-1750's

  • 1415

    Henry the Navigator Funds his First Trip

    Henry the Navigator helped lay the foundation for the new world by funding his trips. He worked for Spain and the first trip he funded was to the Canary Islands.
  • 1450

    Caravel is Invented

    Caravel is Invented
    The Caravel was an improved ship that took sailing to the next level. Carvels were very important because these ships had the ability to sail through strong winds because of their triangular sails and thick planking. The Spanish and Portuguese used these ships to explore the world. Examples of these ships are the Niña and Pinta.
  • 1488

    Bartholomew Diaz Leaves For his Trip

    Bartholomew Diaz Leaves For his Trip
    Bartholomew Diaz discovered the Cape of Good Hopes. This was significant because it proved that there was a possible way to get to India around the tip of Africa.
  • Oct 12, 1492

    Christopher Columbus Finds America for Europe

    Christopher Columbus Finds America for Europe
    Columbus’s discovery of the U.S. for Europe was important because European countries began to colonize that land. He also brought diseases over, killing the natives.
  • Jun 7, 1494

    Treaty of Tordesillas is Signed

    Treaty of Tordesillas is Signed
    The Treaty of Tordesillas was a treaty created by the Pope, to keep two powerful Catholic nations from fighting. He split a map in half, giving the east to Portugal and the west to Spain. This was significant because it gave Spain more land because no one knew how big the world was.
  • 1498

    Vasco de Gama leaves

    Vasco de Gama leaves
    Vasco de Gama was important because he was the first European to go from Europe to India by going around the Cape of Good Hopes. He was sent by Portugal.
  • 1500

    Vasco Nunez de Balboa Leaves

    Vasco Nunez de Balboa Leaves
    Vasco Nunez de Balboa was important because discovered the Pacific Ocean by walking across Panama. Vasco Nunez de Balboa was also significant because he helped establish the first European colony In America.
  • Aug 22, 1500

    Pedro Cabral Finds Brazil

    The finding of Brazil was significant because it was the first and only country colonized by the Portuguese in the Western hemisphere. This also gave better access to resources for Brazil.
  • Period: 1501 to 1504

    David Being Built

    David by Michelangelo is a sculpture representing the character David from the bible. David is important because it represents idealism and improvement in human art. It’s a symbol of independence and strength.
  • Period: 1508 to 1512

    he Sistine Chapel Being Built

    The Sistine Chapel was important because it was the place where popes were elected. It was also filled with one-of-a-kind art.
  • Period: 1509 to 1547

    Mary I Reign

    Mary I's rule was significant because she switched England back to Catholicism. She was known for burning many protestants and people who wronged her.
  • Period: 1509 to 1547

    Henry VIII Reign

    Henry VIII's reign was important because he was the ruler who switched England from Catholicism to Anglicanism so he could annul his wife. He also had six wives; he executed two of them.
  • Sep 20, 1519

    Ferdinand Magellan Leaves for his Trip

    Ferdinand Magellan Leaves for his Trip
    Ferdinand was a navigator sent by the Spanish. He was important because he proved it was possible to get to India going West.
  • Aug 13, 1521

    Herman Cortes takes over the Aztecs

    Herman Cortes takes over the Aztecs
    Herman Cortes conquering the Aztecs was important because it marked the Aztec ruins as New Spain territory. This meant Mexico was Spanish land.
  • 1533

    English becomes Anglican for the First time

    When England became Anglican they separated from the Catholic Church and Henry VIII got an annulment. This is important because since England was Anglican everyone had to convert that lived there. It also changed the line of succession.
  • Dec 14, 1545

    The Council of Trent Meets for the First Time

    The Council of Trent was part of the catholic reformation that helped try to better the Church. The Council of Trent was crucial at the time because it helped the Catholic Church understand what they were doing wrong. The main outcome was reforming the Church and trying to overcome the corruption they had caused
  • 1552

    Inquisition is Put into Place

    Inquisition is Put into Place
    Inquisition was a method of the Catholic Church trying to gain more followers, this was the violent way. It was of significance because it tortured people and forced them to confess heresy acts that they didn't commit.
  • Sep 25, 1555

    Peace of Augsburg is Signed

    The Peace of Augsburg was important because it allowed for individual rulers to decide if their country would practice Lutheranism or Catholicism. This was happening in Germany.
  • 1556

    Charles VIII Steps Down from Power in Spain

    Charles VIII Steps Down from Power in Spain
    Charles V's act of stepping down from the throne was important because it split Spain into seconds. His son; Phillip II and his brother Ferdinand I gained one-half of Spain’s territory.
  • Mar 21, 1556

    Thomas Cranmer Dies

    Thomas Cranmer's death and the events leading up to it were significant because he was burned at the stake for heresy. More importantly, he did not show regret about his actions even though that's why he died. This showed the people that he really believed in Anglicism.
  • 1559

    Elizabethan Compromise is Signed

    The Elizabethan Compromise stated that England would accept both Anglicism and Catholicism. However, someone could only convert to Anglicism, someone could not convert to Catholicism. This was significant at the time because it was very rare and prevented disagreements in England.
  • 1570

    The Peace of St.Germaine is signed

    The signing of Peace St.Germaine was the treaty that ended the French Civil War. This was important because it gave the Huguenots and Catholics rights and ended the civil war.
  • Aug 24, 1572

    Bartholomew's Day Massacre

    Bartholomew's Day Massacre
    Bartholomew's Day massacre was a 2-month bloody battle between Catholics and Huguenots that started with nobles and led to civilians. Bartholomew's massacre was significant because it killed between 5,000 to 25,000 people.
  • Spanish Armada Fails

    Spanish Armada Fails
    The Spanish Armada was a huge Spanish fleet of 130 ships sent to invade England. The failure of the Spanish Armada was important because it had people questioning the correct religion. It also led to the most powerful country becoming bankrupt which distributed the balance of power.
  • Petition of Right is Signed

    Petition of Right is Signed
    The petition of rights stated that Charles I could not jail or tax people whenever he desired. This is important in England because Charles I did not listen to it led to his beheading. It also led to the Bill of Rights.
  • Period: to

    English civil war

    The English Civil War was the fight against the roundheads and cavaliers. This was important because it put an end to monarchy in England and led to England switching to commonwealth.
  • Return of Monarchy in England

    When the commonwealth failed in England, parliament asked Charles II to return as king. This is important because it marked the end of the commonwealth.
  • Period: to

    Versailles Being Built

    The building of Versailles was important because the art influenced countries around Europe. It also led to France becoming bankrupt.
  • Bill of Rights is Signed

    Bill of Rights is Signed
    The Bill of Rights in England stated that parliament got freedom of speech and election. This ensured parliament would always hold power.
  • William and Mary Come to the Throne

    William and Mary Come to the Throne
    William and Mary of the Netherlands came to the English throne because parliament didn’t want a Catholic king. The English dropped all their weapons when the Netherlands came to a battle where parliament had planned to have to defense. William and Mary's coming to the throne is significant because it marks the end of the Stuart dynasty. It shows that religion was very important at the time because they removed James II from the throne because he was a catholic.